Recently, I received an email from an Elvis fan who expressed his concern about what he perceived as a growing bias in the music industry media.
“I think that present day there is a changing of sorts with regards to Elvis and The Beatles,” he contended. “My thoughts on the matter are that those now in charge ofRolling Stoneand other media related groups are from The Beatles’ generation. (Elvis’ generation, so to speak, has left the building.) For example,Billboardignoring Elvis’ chart records from ’56 to ’58 so they could celebrate their 50th anniversary is an example. Wiping away these two years put Elvis at #4 on that list and moved The Beatles to #1. Conversely, if The Beatles first two years of statistics were taken away from them, they would have placed lower that #4, and probably out of the top 10. This upswing towards The Beatles to #1 in opinion polls and Elvis moving to #2 (or, in the case ofRolling Stone,#3 behind Bob Dylan) is directly related to this transition.”
My comments onRolling Stone’s2008“100 Greatest Singers of All Time”ratings appears elsewhere on this site. Here, though, we’ll examine for biasBillboard’scommemorative “Hot 100” issue from August 2008.
TheBillboard“Hot 100” chart has long been accepted as the music industry standard for ranking current and past single recordings. The magazine launched that chart in its August 4, 1958, edition, and in its tribute issue to the anniversary of the “Hot 100,”Billboard’sthink tank came up with a list of the 100 “All-time Top Artists” on the “Hot 100.”
The Beatles topped the list, followed in order by (2) Madonna, (3) Elton John, (4) Elvis Presley, (5) Stevie Wonder, (6) Mariah Carey, (7) Janet Jackson, (8) Michael Jackson, (9) Whitney Houston, and (10) The Rolling Stones.
On the surface, a few of those placings are counter-intuitive (Janet ahead of Michael?), but for now let’s just consider how The Beatles finished so far ahead of Elvis on the list. The answer is simple enough. Since the rankings include only entries in the “Hot 100,” they ignore all of Presley’s hit single recordsbeforeAugust 4, 1958. That means 30 Elvis chart records, including 13 top 10 sides and 7 #1 songs were not counted in theBillboardlist that placed Elvis well behind The Beatles.
• Let’s be fair—count the “Top 100”
While I have never taken the Elvis vs. Beatles competition too seriously, I know that many long time fans of both do. And a fair, head-to-head assessment of the music chart history of both acts is easy to compile.
The origins of the “Hot 100” go back to November 1955, whenBillboardlaunched its “Top 100” chart. Elvis’s first hit single, “Heartbreak Hotel,” made its debut on the “Top 100” in March 1956. He went on to dominate that chart untilBillboardreplaced it with the “Hot 100” in August 1958. In reality, the magazine simply jazzed up the name of its main singles chart by changing its title to the “Hot 100.” A comparison of the final “Top 100” chart on July 28, 1958, and the first “Hot 100” chart the following week indicates that there was no substantive change in how the two charts were compiled. The ratings continued to be based basically on a mixture of commercial sales and disc jockey airplay reports.
So, simply recognizing the continuous flow fromBillboard’s“Top 100” into its “Hot 100” allows a direct comparison of Elvis Presley’s and The Beatles’ chart history. Let’s call that combined chart the “Top/Hot 100.”
• Elvis and The Beatles: a raw number comparison
One disclaimer before we start looking at the chart history of Elvis and The Beatles. Not counted in the comparison below are the few records that each had in the “Top/Hot 100”aftertheir careers ended; that is, after Elvis’ death in 1977 and after The Beatles broke up in 1970. And, of course, The Beatles are not given credit for the chart records of each former Beatle after the breakup.
Now let’s take a look at the rawBillboardchart numbers, starting with the total of recordings by the two acts on the “Top/Hot 100” during their respective careers. Then we’ll break it down into top 40, top 20, top 10, top 5, and #1 records for each.
In total chart songs, Elvis more than doubled up on The Beatles. Between 1956 and 1977, Presley put 134 sides in the “Top/Hot 100” charts. That’s an average of a little over 6 chart titles per year over 22 years. His first chart record, “Heartbreak Hotel,” entered the chart on March 3, 1956. His final entry on theBillboardsingles chart came when “Way Down” debuted on June 25, 1977. It was still on the chart when Elvis died less than two months later.
During their career as a group, The Beatles placed a total of 62 titles on the “Hot 100” between 1964 and 1970. They debuted with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on January 18, 1964, and made their final bow with “The Long and Winding Road,” which last appeared on theBillboardchart on July 25, 1970. Although The Beatles’ total chart records can’t compete with Elvis’ total, the group’s average per year is much higher. They averaged nearly 9 singles chart entries per year over their 7 years as a group.
• Beatles lead Elvis in #1 records
Now let’s take a look at the individual performance of each performer’s “Top/Hot 100” records. As to be expected, due to his far greater number of total chart entries, Elvis has the advantage over The Beatles in most performance categories. Presley placed 102 titles inBillboard’stop 40, while The Beatles had 50 entries that made it that far up the chart. In the top 20, Elvis had 61 songs and The Beatles 37. Near the top of the chart, however, the Fab Four closed the gap and overtook Elvis. Presley still had more in the top 10 (38 to 31) and the top 5 (32 to 29), but at the coveted #1 position, The Beatles dominated Elvis with 20 chart-toppers to Presley’s 14.
For the record, The Beatles’ #1 records on the “Top/Hot 100” were “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (1964), “She Loves You” (1964), “Can’t Buy Me Love” (1964), “Love Me Do” (1964), “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964), “I Feel Fine” (1964), “Eight Days a Week” (1965), “Ticket to Ride” (1965), “Help!” (1965), “Yesterday” (1965), “We Can Work It Out” (1966), “Paperback Writer” (1966), “Penny Lane” (1967), “All You Need Is Love” (1967), “Hello Goodbye” (1967), “Hey Jude” (1968), “Get Back” (1969), “Something”/“Come Together” (1969), “Let It Be” (1970), and “The Long and Winding Road” (1970).
Elvis’ 14 chart-toppers were “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956), “Don’t Be Cruel” (1956), “Love Me Tender (1956), “All Shook Up” (1957), “Teddy Bear” (1957), “Jailhouse Rock” (1957), “Don’t” (1958), “A Big Hunk O’Love” (1959), “Stuck on You” (1960), “It’s Now or Never” (1960), “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (1960), “Surrender” (1961), “Good Luck Charm” (1962), and “Suspicious Minds” (1969).
In an interesting turnabout, however, Elvis actually spent more weeks atopBillboardsingles chart than The Beatles, even though he had 6 fewer titles reach the top spot. Elvis’ 14 chart-toppers spent a combined total of 62 weeks at #1 on the “Top/Hot 100,” while The Beatles’ 20 #1s spent a total of 59 weeks in the top slot. In The Beatles defense, for whatever reason, single records in the late 1950s, when Elvis was at his chart peak, tended to stay atop theBillboardchart for a longer period of time than in the mid-sixties, when The Beatles dominated the chart. For example, in 1956-1957, only 25 single records reached #1 on the “Top 100,” while in 1964-1965, a total of 48 titles topped the “Hot 100.”
• Points system is another way to compare
Another way of assessing the relative career chart performance of Elvis and The Beatles is to use a points system. For instance, one method would be to assign from 1 to 100 points to each chart record based on the highest chart position it reached. A single that reached #1, such as “Jailhouse Rock” for Elvis and “I Feel Fine” for The Beatles, would be awarded 100 points. Sides that peaked at #2, such as Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” would earn 99 points. As songs peaked further down the chart, fewer points would be assigned. A record that barely made it into the “Top/Hot 100” at #100, but rose no higher, would receive just 1 point.
Under that points system, all of Elvis’ chart records between 1956-1977 earn 9,844 points. The Beatles’ point total for their chart output from 1964-1970 comes to 4,716, a little under half of Presley’s total. Again, the length of Elvis’scareer would seem to give him an unfair advantage over The Beatles in that comparison. But that turns out not to be the case, since theaveragehighest position reached by Presley’s 134 “Top/Hot 100” entries was #27, while The Beatles’ 62 chart sides averaged a high water mark of #36. The Beatles may have had six more #1 records than Elvis, but Presley more than made up for that deficit in the point system by having more #2s (7 to 3) and #3s (5 to 2) than The Beatles.
Again, for the record, The Beatles three #2 records were “Do You Want to Know a Secret” (1964), “Twist and Shout” (1964), and “Yellow Submarine” (1966). Elvis’ seven runner-up singles were “Hound Dog” (1956), “Too Much” (1957), “Hard Headed Woman” (1958), “A Fool Such As I” (1959), “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961), “Return to Sender” (1962), and “Burning Love” (1972).
Beatles #3s were “Please Please Me” (1964) and “Nowhere Man” (1966). Peaking at #3 for Elvis were “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” (1956), “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck” (1958), “Devil in Disguise” (1963), “Crying in the Chapel” (1965), and “In the Ghetto” (1969).
• Elvis tops Beatles in career chart totals
In “Career Chart Totals,” then, Elvis Presley tops The Beatles in nearly every category. Only in the #1 records sub-category can the Fab Four claim an advantage over the King of Rock ’n’ roll. Of course, Beatle fans will contend that comparing the group’s career chart totals with those of Elvis is clearly unfair. After all, Presley had 22 years in which to accumulate his totals, while The Beatles had less than 7 years.
Beatle advocates might ask for a “head-to-head” comparison. After all, the careers of the two iconic acts did overlap. Fair enough. Let’s compare, then, the chart performance of Elvis and The Beatles from January 18, 1964, through July 25, 1970, when both were putting platters in the “Hot 100.”
Keep in mind that this period coincides with the entire chart career of The Beatles. So theirBillboardchart totals in this comparison are the same as their career totals—62 chart titles, 50 in the top 40, 37 in the top 20, 31 in the top 10, 29 in the top 5, and 20 #1s. Conversely, all of Elvis’ chart records before January 1964 and after July 1970 won’t count in this comparison.
The first chart record Elvis had during this head-to-head match up with The Beatles was “Kissin’ Cousins.” In February 1964, when that title tune from one of Presley’s movies debuted on the “Hot 100,” The Beatles already held down the top two spots on the chart (“I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You”). That’s an indication of how poorly for Elvis this comparison with the Fab Four is going to go. Led by The Beatles, the “British Invasion” of the American charts in the sixties suppressed Presley’s records, along with those of many other American singers, on the singles charts. What little chart success Elvis had during this period came mostly during a brief career resurgence in 1969, which produced “Suspicious Minds,” his only #1 record during the era of Beatle dominance.
Head-to-head, then, from 1964-1970, The Beatles had more chart records (62 to 46), more in the top 40 (50 to 29), more in the top 20 (37 to 16), more in the top 10 (31 to 6), more in the top 5 (29 to 4), and a whopping 20 to 1 advantage in #1 singles. Beatle titles racked up 533 weeks on the “Hot 100” compared to Elvis’ 345 weeks during the same period. Using a system which assigns points to each chart record based on its highest position on the “Hot 100,” The Beatles’ 62 chart titles accumulated 4,012 points compared to just 2,846 points for Elvis.
The Beatles, then, clearly win the chart “head-to-head” competition with Elvis. But as the Beatle faithful might protest that Elvis’ advantage in “total career chart performance” was unfair to their boys, so could Presley fans claim the same of the “head-to-head” comparison. Longevity is the key toBilliboardchart supremacy, they might contend, pointing out that Elvis worked the “Top/Hot 100” for 22 years, while The Beatles were mere “flashes in the pan” for a mere 7 years.
Let me then propose a different method of comparing the chart performance of Elvis and The Beatles that would be fair to both sides. It’s called the “6-6-1” comparison.
• The “6-6-1” Comparison
The Beatles’ first placed a record on the “Hot 100” on January 18, 1964, (“I Want to Hold Your Hand”) and last appeared on that chart on July 25, 1970 (“The Long and Winding Road”). That’s a time span of6years,6months, and1week. I suggest, then, taking the first 6 years, 6 months, and 1 week of Elvis Presley’s chart history and putting it up against The Beatles’ chart run of the same length. Such a comparison would eliminate Elvis’ longevity advantage as well as The Beatles’ head-to-head advantage.
The first 6 years, 6 months, and 1 week of Presley’s career started on February 22, 1956, when “Heartbreak Hotel” first made the “Top 100,” and ended on August 29, 1962, when “She’s Not You” was Elvis’ current hit. So let’s compare Presley’s chart performance during that time span with the totals accumulated by The Beatles over the same amount of time, beginning in January 1964. The winner will be proclaimed “The Real King of the Charts.”
We’ll start with total singles charted during the first 6-year, 6-month, 1-week period of each act’s career. The Beatles have the edge in this category. They put 62 titles in the “Hot 100” between 1964-1970, while Elvis charted 57 sides between 1956-1962. It’s a push, though, when it comes to records in the top 40 ofBillboard’ssingles chart. Both had 50 entries in that part of the “Top/Hot 100.” Moving up the chart, The Beatles hold a slight advantage over Elvis in all other categories: top 20 (37 to 34), top 10 (31 to 29), top 5 (29 to 25), and #1s (20 to 13).
Although the “6-6-1” comparison seems to be a near sweep for The Beatles, it’s not quite that simple. In the first 6 ½ years of his chart history, Elvis’ 57 tunes spent a total of 684 weeks on the “Top 100,” easily exceeding the 533 weeks The Beatles accumulated with their 62 chart songs. And in the points system based on highest chart position of each record, Elvis wins again with 4,855 points to 4,716 for The Beatles.
So, the “6-6-1” comparison doesn’t produce a clear-cut winner. The Beatles can claim more chart records and more titles reaching higher levels on the chart, while Presley has more weeks and longevity on the chart on his side. The title of “The Real King of the Charts,” then, is still up for grabs. Let’s move on to a couple of tiebreakers to see if we can finally determine a winner.
• The “Best Single Chart” Comparison
The “Top/Hot 100” chart has been published weekly inBillboardsince 1955. Between Elvis and The Beatles, which one had the most dominant single weekly chart during their recording careers?
We’ll start with Presley. His most dominant chart appeared the week of November 17, 1956, when he had 7 titles in the “Top 100.” “Love Me Tender” led the way that week at #1, followed by “Don’t Be Cruel” at #4, “Hound Dog” at #19, “Anyway You Want Me” at #33, “I Don’t Care If the Sun Don’t Shine” at #82, “Love Me” at #84, and “Blue Moon” at #92.
As impressive as that performance was, however, it can’t come near to matching what The Beatles did on the “Hot 100” the week of April 4, 1964. On that week’s chart, The Beatles held the top 5 spots: #1 “Can’t Buy Me Love,” #2 “Twist and Shout,” #3 “She Loves You,” #4 “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and #5 “Please Please Me.” In addition, the Fab Four had 7 other sides on the chart that week, giving them an incredible 12 titles onBillboard’ssingles chart during the same week. That puts The Beatles one up on Elvis going into the last tiebreaker.
• The “Biggest Hit” Comparison
Now let’s see who, Elvis or The Beatles, had the single biggest hit single on the “Top/Hot 100.” This time we’ll start with the Fab Four. Their biggest hit single was “Hey Jude,” which entered the “Hot 100” at #10 on September 14, 1968. It jumped to #3 the following week, and then settled in at #1 for 9 consecutive weeks between September 28 and November 23. It stayed on the chart through December 18, when it finished up its run of 19 weeks on the “Hot 100.”Billboardrated “Hey Jude” the #1 “Hot 100” song of 1968 and #8 on its list of top overall “Hot 100” singles in its 50th anniversary rankings.
It was an impressive accomplishment for The Beatles, but one that paled in comparison to Elvis Presley’s biggest single record. “All Shook Up” debuted on the “Top 100” at #26 on April 6, 1957. It climbed to #6 a week later and then, on only its third week on the chart, reached #1 on April 20. There it stayed for 8 weeks, until it dropped to #2 on June 10. It placed in the chart’s top 10 for an incredible 15 weeks and remained in the “Top 100” for 30 weeks. Think about it—“All Shook Up” rodeBillboard’ssingles chart for 7 months in 1957! It was easily the biggest pop single of that year, but since it appeared on the “Top 100” a year before the chart’s name changed to the “Hot 100,” it was ignored inBillboard’sanniversary ratings.
So The Beatles had the best single chart performance, but Elvis had the single biggest hit record. Even these two tiebreakers have failed to determine which of the two is “The Real King of the Charts.” The inescapable conclusion is that both Elvis Presley and The Beatles can lay claim to that title. It all depends on how one chooses to spin and prioritize the impressive chart numbers that both put up.
In the end, though, theBillboardsingles chart performance of both Elvis Presley and The Beatles is just one argument in a much larger debate—which one had the greatest ongoing influence on American pop culture in the latter half of the twentieth century?
The writer of the email message referenced above offered his view of the debate’s scope and declared a winner—for now. “The debate between the two in rock is a valid one,” he allowed. “However, when taking a broader perspective of hits, country, rock, r&b, gospel, easy listening, coupled with other influences such as movies, TV, social impact, the debate is less and Elvis is the clear front runner. It will be interesting to see in the years to come if he can retain this status.” —Alan Hanson| © August 2011
Comment on This Article
Reader Comment:Regardingyour Elvis vs. Beatles debate... Not only did it take Elvis 3 decades to dowhat the Beatles did in 6 years but the competition was also a LOT heavier bythe time the Beatles came around. Let's face it, when Elvis started out thereweren't but a few other white singers who didn't suck. And blacks couldn't getairplay. Elvis took R&B songs and gave them a white face. The Beatlesredefined music several times. NO question who was better! — Marq (October2014)
Reader Comment:One has to remember and take into account when Elvis arrived Rock ’n’ Roll was new. He was frowned upon by the establishment. TV was relatively new, and the teenagers of the fifties had less disposable income than the teenagers of the sixties.Most importantly the world’s population was much smaller during the fifties than during the Beatles time of the sixties.Elvis created the circumstances for the Beatles to be accepted immediately by both adults and teenagers unlike himself.Therefore, it’s too hard to say who was greater.Of course the Beatles sold more, faster.They had a far bigger and wealthier market to sell to.Singles were the norm during Elvis’ reign, while albums were the norm during the Beatles reign.How can anyone honestly compare?Simply impossible.They both changed the world in their own ways.In my opinion, they’re both equal.They are the epitome of music during the twentieth century. — Steve (July 2018)
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FAQs
Elvis or The Beatles … Who Was the Real King of Billboard’s Chart? ›
The answer is simple enough. Since the rankings include only entries in the “Hot 100,” they ignore all of Presley's hit single records before August 4, 1958. That means 30 Elvis chart records, including 13 top 10 sides and 7 #1 songs were not counted in the Billboard list that placed Elvis well behind The Beatles.
Who is king of Billboard? ›Drake Continues To Reign As The Undisputed King Of Billboard's Streaming Songs Chart.
How many Billboard number 1 did Elvis have? ›4, 1958, origin.) Here's a chronological recap of Presley's iconic 17 No. 1 singles on the all-genre Best Sellers in Stores and Hot 100 charts.
Who has the most Billboard hits of all time? ›Elvis has had no less than 149 songs to appear on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Chart in America. Of these, 114 were in the top forty, 40 were in the top 10, and 18 went to number one. His number one singles spent a total of 80 weeks at number one.
Who has the most #1 hits on Billboard? ›The Beatles have the most No. 1 hits of all time: 20. Though unclear for how long, the Beatles still reign supreme as the artist with the most No. 1 songs of all time.
Who is king of music industry? ›| Michael Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Family | Jackson |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop soul funk rhythm and blues rock disco post-disco dance-pop new jack swing |
• Beatles lead Elvis in #1 records
As to be expected, due to his far greater number of total chart entries, Elvis has the advantage over The Beatles in most performance categories. Presley placed 102 titles in Billboard's top 40, while The Beatles had 50 entries that made it that far up the chart.
Elvis Presley, recognised as the best-selling solo music artist of all time by Guinness World Records, sold over 400.
How many number 1 hits did The Beatles have? ›Music Industry
Over the years, many artists have topped the list of the country's most popular songs at the time, but none did so more often than The Beatles. With 20 no. 1 singles on the Hot 100 charts, the iconic British rock band are just one hit ahead of Mariah Carey, who has 19 notches in her belt.
Who has more Billboard hits than The Beatles? ›
The Beatles have a record 19 albums that reached number one on the chart, followed by Jay-Z with 14 and Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand who each have 11. The title for most number one singles still goes to The Beatles with 20, followed by Mariah with 19 and Elvis with 18.
What is the most successful song of all time? ›According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
What song has the longest #1 hit? ›"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond. "The Box" charted at No.
Who sold more records Elvis or Michael Jackson? ›Elvis Presley – 146.5 million units. Eagles – 101 million units. Billy Joel – 82.5 million units. Michael Jackson – 81 million units.
Who knocked Elvis off the charts? ›Gogi Grant, whose rendition of “The Wayward Wind” replaced Elvis Presley's “Heartbreak Hotel” on top of the Billboard singles chart in 1956, died on Thursday at her home in Los Angeles.
What was Elvis most successful song? ›It's Now or Never (1960)
This Number One hit became his best-selling single worldwide, and is currently one of the best-selling singles of all time.
The record for the most Grammy Awards won in a lifetime is held by Beyoncé, an American singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer, who has won 32. It was previously held by Georg Solti, a Hungarian-British conductor, who won 31.
Who has the most records sold all time? ›Top-selling artists worldwide as of 2022
Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.
Paul McCartney (32) and John Lennon (26), of The Beatles, rank first and second, respectively, for having written the most Hot 100 No. 1s, thanks to their respective group and solo outputs.
Who is the biggest person in the music industry? ›Billboard named Grainge as the first-ever Executive of the Decade after he topped the magazine's "Power 100" list as the most powerful person in the music business in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2022. He is the only person to ever hold that distinction more than once and for consecutive years.
Who has the most fans in the music industry? ›
| Popularity ranking | Artist | |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Rihanna | Track artist |
| 02 | Drake | Track artist |
| 03 | Coldplay | Track artist |
| 04 | Eminem | Track artist |
The music industry is concentrated and dominated by three main players. According to Music & Copyright, the three largest record labels - Universal Music Group (32% market share), Sony Music Entertainment (20%), and Warner Music Group (16%) - hold a 68% share of the music recording market.
Who has outsold The Beatles? ›Tears: Ken Dodd record outsold everyone but the Beatles in the 1960s.
Who sold more records Sinatra or Elvis? ›“The King” is still “The King.” Nearly 50 years after Elvis Presley's death, he has still sold the most physical albums and singles in recorded music history. Presley has sold an astounding 212 million vinyl albums and another 135 million singles. New Jersey's own Frank Sinatra came in second with 95 million singles.
Does anyone have more hits than The Beatles? ›Drake has officially broken The Beatles' Billboard Hot 100 record, which they held for 55 years. The Canadian rapper now has more songs on the top five hits in Hot 100 history than any other artist thanks to his recent collaboration with DJ Khaled and Lil Baby on the hit "Staying Alive." The song debuted at No.
Who is the highest paid solo artist of all time? ›Michael Jackson is the first musician to earn over $100 million in a year (1989), and has become the top-earning male soloist a record seven times.
Who is the most famous singer in the world? ›Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, and no one else even comes close. The 33-year-old Canadian singer's success has seen him set two new Guinness World Records titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify – 111.4 million (as of 20 March 2023)
Who is considered the best band of all time? ›| Rank | Band | Certified Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Beatles | 290.4 Million |
| 2 | The Rolling Stones | 102.7 Million |
| 3 | Pink Floyd | 123.8 Million |
| 4 | Led Zeppelin | 142.4 Million |
By this metric, it might be accurate to call 'Hey Jude' the biggest-selling single from The Beatles in America, but until the official counts are released, the title of certifiable high-selling Beatles single still belongs to 'She Loves You'.
What Beatles song stayed at number one the longest? ›"Hey Jude" was The Beatles' number one hit that spent the longest on the charts. "Hey Jude" reached No. 1 on September 28, 1968, and spent 19 weeks on the charts.
What is the most listened to song by The Beatles? ›
Of all the Beatles' songs, why does 'Here Comes the Sun' get the most streams? The song has been highly ranked for years, even back when downloads were the main method of digital distribution, Vieira said.
Who is the artist bigger than the Beatles? ›"Bigger Than The Beatles" is a song written by Jeb Stuart Anderson and Steve Dukes, and recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in November 1995 as the lead single from the album, Life's So Funny.
Who made the best song ever? › What song has the most royalties? ›Estimated earnings: $50 million
Fast forward 120 years and "Happy Birthday" is by far the richest and most profitable song of all time. The Ownership of "Happy Birthday" has changed hands a few times in the last 100 years. Music holding company Warner Chappell bought the rights for $15 million in 1990.
It surpassed Don McLean's “American Pie” which, with its 8 minutes and 37 seconds, topped the charts for four weeks in 1972. However, “All Too Well” is only the highest of Swift's 26 new entries on the Hot 100.
What is the most popular song? ›As of June 2023, "Blinding Lights" (2019) by Canadian singer the Weeknd is the most-streamed song of all time on Spotify, while "Dance Monkey" (2019) by Australian singer-songwriter Tones and I is the most-streamed song by a female artist.
What album spent the longest at number 1? ›| Weeks | Album | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | West Side Story† | 1962–63 |
| 37 | Thriller | 1983–84 |
| 31 | Rumours | 1977–78 |
| South Pacific‡ | 1958–59 |
Elvis has the highest amount of Riaa certifications in history , far more than mj. Elvis has the highest amount of Riaa certifications in history , far more than mj. Elvis is commonly called the king or king of rock and roll.
Who sold more records Queen or Elvis? ›| Artist | Country | Claimed sales |
|---|---|---|
| Elvis Presley | United States | 500 million |
| Michael Jackson | United States | 400 million |
| Elton John | United Kingdom | 300 million 250 million |
| Queen | United Kingdom | 300 million 250 million |
And while Elvis wasn't a songwriter per se, he did co-write a few songs in his career including 'That's Someone You Never Forget' and the haunting 'You'll Be Gone'.
What was Elvis Presley's No 1 hit in the United States? ›
"Heartbreak Hotel" became Elvis' first #1 on Billboard's pop singles chart and his first gold record award winner. It reigned on the Billboard pop charts for eight weeks of its 27-week stay. It also enjoyed a 27-week run on the country singles chart with 17 of those weeks at #1.
Who was the first choice to play Elvis? ›Miles Teller was a top fan choice for the role of Elvis.
Who did Elvis say was the best singer? ›Elvis held Roy Orbison is very high regard, publicly stating that Roy had ' most perfect voice' and referring to him as the 'greatest singer in the world' during one of his Vegas concerts.
How many Billboard #1 hits did Elvis have? ›4, 1958, origin.) Here's a chronological recap of Presley's iconic 17 No. 1 singles on the all-genre Best Sellers in Stores and Hot 100 charts.
What was Elvis favorite song of his own? ›Elvis loved Gospel songs and “Known only to him” was his favorite as it (again) was Gladys favorite Gospel song. What was the most noble thing that Elvis Presley ever did?
Who is the most famous billboard? ›Piccadilly Circus Billboard
The corner has housed a lit billboard for more than a century, stretching down the street and around the building.
"Last Night" by American country singer Morgan Wallen is the year's longest-running number-one song on the Hot 100 in 2023, having spent twelve weeks at the top spot. "Flowers" by American singer Miley Cyrus is the longest running number-one by a female artist, ruling the Hot 100 for eight weeks.
Who beat BTS in Billboard? ›1 Hit In The History Of One Billboard Chart. Contributor. Once again, Billboard's Hot Trending Songs chart is ruled by the hit single “Bazinga,” which millions of fans all around the world can't stop talking about on social media.
Who has the most 10 Billboard hits? ›An elite 12 artists have achieved top 10 placements on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart in four or more decades, led by Andy Williams and Michael Jackson, with top 10 ranks in five decades each.
Who is the number 1 greatest artist of all time? ›Leonardo da Vinci, probably the most important Renaissance artist, is widely recognized as the most famous artist of all time. He's the genius behind the iconic Mona Lisa painting masterpiece, after all.
Who has been on billboard number 1 the longest? ›
Elvis Presley was the first artist to log 60 weeks at No. 1. He reached that milestone in the Billboard issue dated April 14, 1962, when his Blue Hawaii soundtrack was in its 18th of 20 weeks on top. He has since spent seven additional weeks at No.
Who has been billboard number one the longest time? ›"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.
What is the most popular song of all time? ›According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
What is the most played song of all time? ›Some radio analysts consider it the most-played radio song of all time. Still, “Every Breath you Take” has more than 15 million plays to its name. The song, created by the English rock band The Police, was written by Sting and quickly became the biggest Canadian and US hit of 1983.
Who has the most sold records in 2023? ›New releases from Taylor Swift, Pearl Jam, The Cure, Stevie Nicks and more were among the top sellers from Record Store Day 2023 in the United States, according to data tracking firm Luminate.
Who replaced BTS on Billboard? ›Jimin Replaces His BTS Bandmate Suga Atop Billboard's World Songs Chart.
What is BTS's Billboard record? ›BTS has become the first act with seven #1 songs on Billboard's Global 200 singles chart. The K-pop group celebrated their 10 years on June 13, 2023.
What rank is BTS in the world? ›The Bangtan Boys, aka BTS, rank at number two in the Top 20 Global Artist Chart for 2022.
Who has more #1 Billboard hits than The Beatles? ›Presley placed 102 titles in Billboard's top 40, while The Beatles had 50 entries that made it that far up the chart. In the top 20, Elvis had 61 songs and The Beatles 37. Near the top of the chart, however, the Fab Four closed the gap and overtook Elvis.
How many #1 hits did The Beatles have? ›Music Industry
Over the years, many artists have topped the list of the country's most popular songs at the time, but none did so more often than The Beatles. With 20 no. 1 singles on the Hot 100 charts, the iconic British rock band are just one hit ahead of Mariah Carey, who has 19 notches in her belt.
Who has had a #1 hit every Decade? ›
Cher's career as a recording artist spans seven decades and she is the only artist to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each of the past six decades.